"Suddenly Posted On Social Media": Tribunal Holds RCB 'Responsible' For Bengaluru Stampede
Royal Challengers Bengaluru have been held 'responsible' for the M Chinnaswamy stampede that saw 11 people lose their lives.
The June 4 tragedy outside the M Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru turned out to be a big lesson for cricketing celebrations and crowd control. After the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) won the Indian Premier League (IPL) title on June 3 in Ahmedabad, the franchise's poorly-planned celebration in Bengaluru saw 11 people losing their lives. Roughly a month after the tragedy, the Central Administrative Tribunal has put the entire blame of the incident on the IPL franchise, saying 'appropriate permissions and consent' weren't taken by the police ahead of the ceremony in the city.
In its order, the Central Tribunal said: "The RCB did not take the appropriate permission or consent from the police. Suddenly, they posted on social media platforms, and as a result of the aforesaid information, the public gathered. Because of a shortage of time, the police were unable to make the appropriate arrangements. It cannot be expected from the police that within a short time of about 12 hours, the police will make all the required arrangements."
RCB Victory Parade: Today at 5 pm IST.
— Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) June 4, 2025
Victory Parade will be followed by celebrations at the Chinnaswamy stadium.
We request all fans to follow guidelines set by police and other authorities, so that everyone can enjoy the roadshow peacefully.
Free passes (limited… pic.twitter.com/raJMXlop5O
The tribunal empathised with the city's police officials, who were also blamed for the tragedy earlier, saying they aren't superhumans who could make arrangements to manage 5-7 lakh people in about 12 hours.
"Police personnel are also human beings. They are neither 'God' nor magicians. They do not have the magic powers like 'Alladin ka Chirag' (Alladin's lamp) that they can fulfill any wish by rubbing a finger."
As the fans awaited final announcement on the celebrations, the Bengaluru police said that no open bus parade will be held in the city because of traffic and other issues. The police also advised fans to remain disciplined. Yet, lakhs of people gathered within hours of the RCB team reaching Bengaluru from Ahmedabad.
Since the tragedy, RCB have announced an aid of Rs 10 lakh each to the families of those who lost their lives in the stampede.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru